444 THE UNFINISHED BOOK. [1856. 



had to search for light in Zoological Geography you would 



by contrast, respect your own subject a vast deal more than 



you now do. The hawks have behaved like gentlemen, and 



have cast up pellets with lots of seeds in them ; and I have 



just had a parcel of partridge's feet well caked with mud ! ! ! * 



Adios. 



Your insane and perverse friend, 



C. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, Nov. 4th [1856]. 



My dear Hooker, — I thank you more cordially than you 

 will think probable, for your note. Your verdict f has been 

 a great relief. On my honour I had no idea whether or not 

 you would say it was (and I knew you would say it very 

 kindly) so bad, that you would have begged me to have burnt 

 the whole. To my own mind my MS. relieved me of some 

 few difficulties, and the difficulties seemed to me pretty fairly 

 stated, but I had become so bewildered with conflicting facts, 

 evidence, reasoning and opinions, that I felt to myself that I 

 had lost all judgment. Your general verdict is incomparably 

 more favourable than I had anticipated. . . . 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, Nov. 23rd [1856]. 



My dear Hooker, — I fear I shall weary you with letters, 

 but do not answer this, for in truth and without flattery, I so 

 value your letters, that after a heavy batch, as of late, I feel 

 that I have been extravagant and have drawn too much 

 money, and shall therefore have to stint myself on another 

 occasion. 



When I sent my MS. I felt strongly that some preliminary 



* The mud in such cases often contains seeds, so that plants are thus 

 transported. 



f On the MS. relating to geographical distribution. 



